Cross-Layer-based Local Repair for Maximizing Goodput and Minimizing Control Messages in Multicasting MANET

The Multicast Ad hoc On-Demand Distance Vector (MAODV) protocol achieves multicast routing in self-organizing wireless mobile on-demand networks, e.g., Mobile Ad-hoc Networks (MANETs). However, unreliable wireless links degrade network reliability and network goodput, and the unreliable link problem becomes worse in multicasting because a multicast tree consists of more number of wireless links. MAODV adopts a broadcast-type local repair, and thus yields a large number of broadcast-type repair messages, increases extensive control overhead, and involves largely power consumption. Thus, a cross-layer unicast-type multihop local repair approach is proposed to recover broken links in multicasting MANETs. Additionally, the cross-layer mechanism provides mobile nodes to send a cross-layer message to the TCP sender to keep current congestion window (cwnd) and slow start threshold (ssthresh) when downstream links are temporarily broken, and then increases network goodput. Finally, the optimal number of neighbor-tiers is analyzed and the optimal substitute node is identified. Numerical results demonstrate that the proposed approach outperforms other approaches in successful repair rate, control message overhead, packet delivery ratio, and network goodput.